Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with resign

I notice you're leaving

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:40:49 -0800

I recently gave an extended notice period to my employer (ie, notice that I'd be giving notice) to the tune of 7 weeks. I now feel I acted rashly, and am mulling over staying. Is it feasible to rescind notice, if its actually pre-notice? I handed in notice saying that as of later this month, I'll be working my notice period out (4 weeks). Mainly due to a problem with an individual in the company. That person is now leaving, and change is afoot in the company (hopefully for the good). I'm tempted to stick around for another 6 months to `give it a chance` but am unsure of what ground I now stand on, and what repurcussions my actions may lead to.

I formally handed in a resignation letter stating the date I'd start and end my 4 weeks notice period; this letter was entirely professional and courteous, and gave no indication as to my problems and reasons for leaving.

Since we're all signing new contracts shortly anyway, the current proposal is for myself to be on a fixed-length contract which coincides with the dates I provided. This is acceptable to me, as I recognise it may be all I can get, even should I wish to stay.

You're not my lawyers, but a bit of level-headed thinking from those more objective to the situation may help. This little story takes place in the UK, should employment differ enough for that to be of use.

Kindly take this job and shove it, and no hard feelings, ok?

Slarty Bartfast — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:54:10 -0800

How can I tactfully tell my employer and coworkers that I'm leaving the organization? My timing sucks and leaves everyone I work with in a bit of a bind... Sorry about the long boring story:

Ok, so I've been unsatisfied with my current position for a while and have been thinking about leaving for over a year. Personal factors have aligned themselves such that shifting jobs would work great for me sometime in the next 6 months (baby due in April). I put my feelers out and suddenly the *perfect* job appeared. I would be doing work that is much more personally satisfying, pays more, has fewer hours, more vacation, and is located 7 blocks from my house. I can have the job if I want it and if I pass it up, it is very unlikely I will find something that meets my needs this well (I have looked around to compare).

I have been at my current job for seven years. During that time, I have taken on a leadership role and have championed several major projects, including one major one that rolls out in three weeks (we're implementing an electronic health record) that is generating a ton of anxiety and will change everyone's day to day work. I feel strongly that it is the right thing to do for the organization and I do have everyone's buy-in on it, but in a lot of ways it's my baby. Announcing my departure now will generate a lot of "WTF?" from my colleagues.

I can give them 2 months' notice which is standard in my field so I can tie things up to some extent, but I need to tell them I'm leaving soon. I think it's not likely they'll replace me in that time and it is theoretically possible someone will be laid off.

Aside from having an awesome job waiting for me, I have a lot of good reasons to leave: our reimbursement model isn't working and my pay is going down every year while the number of hours I'm working is going up. The commute is becoming intolerable. I'm tired of being a leader in an organization that resists change. I'm bored and frustrated.

But I like the people I work with. Some of them I love. We work long hours very closely and we know each other well. I hate the idea of screwing them over and them cursing my name after I'm gone. I would like to do this as gracefully as possible but maybe I just need to accept that this is business and I deserve to act in my own best interest this one time and not worry about what everyone else thinks.

Surely some of you must have gone through something similar to this. How did it go? What did you do right and what would you do differently? And how did you cope with the fall out?

How do I resign politely?

Brittanie — Sat, 03 May 2008 06:30:58 -0800

Writing a resignation letter and quitting gracefully in a slightly slippery situation I am a part-time temporary employee who was hired for a project that wraps at the end of June. The job has not been as flexible as I was led to believe it would be, and I would like to quit at the end of May, a month before I am expected to leave.

I plan on writing a resignation letter and giving them two-weeks notice. There is some possibility I may be interested in a full-time position at this place of business sometime in the future, so I don't want to burn any bridges. However, I have a feeling my boss will not take my early departure as very good news. I am *not* under any kind of contract to stay there. Here are my questions:

I have never written a resignation letter before. Any advice? Do I have to say why I'm leaving? i plan to make it as polite and gracious as possible because in general I have enjoyed this job.

How does one deliver such a letter. I ask because I am not very good at confrontation and would like to avoid it if at all possible while still maintaining my dignity.

How do I respond if my boss makes my last two weeks unpleasant? I have a feeling this could happen but I am going to do my best to take the high road from the start and I hope she does too.

How long does my former employer (in New York State) have to get me my final paycheck?

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:45:14 -0800

How long does my former employer (in New York State) have to get me my final paycheck? I recently resigned from my job. It was a fairly amicable split - I gave my two weeks notice on January 25th and let them know that February 8th would be my last day. The regular payday of February 15th has come and gone, and I still haven't received my final check.

I know some states like California have very strict laws about when the final check has to be issued, and I know that New York state gives the employer slightly more time, but I haven't been able to figure out exactly how long they have. The Department of Labor website hasn't been any help. Can someone please let me know where I stand legally?

BTW, if it matters, the company is in serious financial trouble and was not able to make payroll for its current employees on the 15th.

How do I gracefully quit this job?

Anonymous — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 15:48:56 -0800

I need help with formatting a resignation letter. It's a bit complicated. I work for a major medication corporation as an IT geek. I've been working here for a few months, after graduating from school this past year. It's a good job with a good pay, far higher than other companies offered me, but it's almost time for me to leave.

I've always wanted to have my own business, and I've finally hit upon an opportunity that I've grabbed that will let me make about 2/3 of what I'm making now, with only 1/2 of the work (officially). Unofficially, I'll be working a few hours a week, and the rest will be free for me. It's an IT contract with an old client of mine, and very lucrative and an awesome opportunity. Between that, my other IT work and a writing business that I'm starting to be overwhelmed with work in, I'm finally in a position to quit my job and make as much and more money than I'm making working my current 8-5.

So, Hive Mind, tell me, how do I write a letter to these nice people who gave me this job? It was a real blessing, and I would have been out on the street if not for it. But I'm through with it. I want my last day to be on or close to January 1st, and I want to draft a letter to give to them in a couple of weeks to prepare for that date. My trouble is that I've only worked here for a few months, we're going through performance reviews/next year's goals and I do, to tell the truth, feel a little bit bad for being here for such a short time and then leaving. But it is a big place, and though the IT department doesn't have a huge turnover, the place as a whole does, I'm sure.

What do I say? Do I tell them thank you for the job? Do I tell them about my businesses? Do I ask them to keep me in mind if they have any contract work they need done? This is my first *real* job, and my first resignation letter I'll be writing, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

(Note: Please don't suggest I stay here any longer. I really hate working for a company, I can't stand working under unnatural light and looking at a grey cube all day and I've worked my arse off the past few months every spare moment I've had to make myself opportunities to get out of here, and I'm not staying any longer than I have to. I *love* working for myself and I'm so excited about doing it. I just need help figuring out how to write a resignation with these slightly odd circumstances in mind.)

Quitters never win?

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:42:41 -0800

I'm about to resign from my job. The problem is I only started two months ago. How do I break the news? I like the people. They like me. It's a small start-up company with under 50 people. I do software development. I'm a salaried employee.

I joined because I was told there was a big project that I would specifically be working on, but it's not even on the radar. Instead, beyond really basic coding projects, I've been asked to work on documentation, research "projects", and other things that could have just as easily been handled by an office temp. Basically, I get the feeling they don't know what to do with me and yet I'm discouraged from doing things that aren't explicitly assigned.

The good news is, I was offered another job at a large, well-known company. It fits my background a lot more closely, and I know some of the people there already so I know what to expect. I've accepted an offer and it starts in a little over 2 weeks.

The bad news is, I now have to tell the people at my current company (who I really like), that I'm resigning. They will not be expecting it what-so-ever. Further complicating the matter, there is a planned launch at the end of the month. All my projects (including the aformentioned) are either done, or at least 99% of the way there.

I admit that it's bad timing, but I'd like to not completely burn bridges with the people there if at all possible, or at least break the news gently and walk away peacefully. This is definitely a "It's not you, it's me" type situation. I'd be happy to give two weeks notice and stick it out, however I'm torn on whether or not they'd just ask me to leave same day.

How do I break the news to them? When do I break the news to them? What are the chances they'll want me to stick around if I give them notice?

How do I quit my job in such a way that I still collect upcoming bonus?

Anonymous — Thu, 10 May 2007 20:52:57 -0800

I am on the verge of leaving my job at a large game company (the largest) in order to start work elsewhere. Our annual bonus (based on company performance over the last year, expected to be quite good this year) isn't issued till June 1st. I am wondering-- if I give notice and leave before June 1st, am I still entitled to this bonus? How can I find out without potentially spilling the beans that I'm leaving? (I haven't told my manager yet.) Also, if I give 2 weeks notice in such a way that my last day is after June 1st, can the company terminate me in less than 2 weeks so that I don't get my bonus? (In other words if I want to be absolutely sure of collecting my bonus, would it be safest to not give notice at all until June 1st? Assuming I can delay my start date at the new place that long...) The bonus is related to our work over the last 4 quarters, so in a sense I've 'earned' it. But I don't know if that matters.

Dealing with an employer that doesn't understand the words "I quit."

disaster77 — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 14:54:03 -0800

Dealing with an employer that doesn't understand the words "I quit." I currently have 2 jobs. I resigned from one with 2 weeks notice saying that as of October 9th I would no longer be working for them. Yesterday, my soon-to-be former boss says "So you're still going to be available if we need something, right?" I didn't say yes or no, just that I didn't know. I've also received a bunch of emails with things to do from him today. I don't think he gets it and I'm not sure how to handle it. I am friendly with him and do not want to burn any bridges as I need the reference and I am open to working with him again in the future in a different capacity. I do not know why he is doing this. He never made any sort of plea to me to stick around, it's like he assumes I'm not serious about it. Any advice or tactics appreciated.

Should I quit my job?

hamster — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 13:29:47 -0800

It's very possible I'll be fired from my job next Wednesday. Should I resign before then? What should I tell prospective employers? Due to some largely personal problems with my boss (jealousy, lack of professionalism, me taking the fall for her increasingly visible incompetence), I was nearly fired a month ago. I managed to talk my boss and her supervisor into a month of probation in which to prove myself.

That month ends next Wednesday, and, thanks to lots of undermining from the boss, I'm not sure I can make a strong case for myself. Anyhow, it's hard to prove yourself when the core of the problem is an unprofessional, possibly crazy boss who has admitted, in front of upper management, that she "can't stand [me]" and thinks I "act like a bitch." (If it offers you context, I made the terrible mistake of dating someone my boss apparently liked, though he's ten years younger than her, not interested, and she has several boyfriends at the moment.) She's been here for over a decade and cannot be deposed.

I spent the last month sending out resumes and have landed a second interview with a great possibility. My resume is competitive, and I'm not terribly worried about finding something.

However--I'm wondering what to do, since I can't use the boss or anyone above her as a reference, and that's a flag for prospective employers. And I'd kind of like to resign before they can fire me, but I'm wondering if that's a good idea. The odds are about even that I'll be fired, get to resign, or be kept on. There's no good way to tell what will happen. I won't get unemployment if I'm fired (they'll call it neglect of duties), but I have enough to live for about three months.

What's the strongest position to shoot for, given that I'll be interviewing? How should I explain what happened?

Cheney, too.

barjo — Fri, 02 Sep 2005 09:09:59 -0800

Can Bush be forced to resign? Criminal incompetence is probably not an impeachable offense, but something has to be done about Bush. I'd be interested in being part of a "Bush Must Resign" movement, but absent the threat of impeachment, what kind of pressure could be put on him? Can anyone think of another country, with a system similar to the US, where the leader was forced out without revolution?

Moving On Up... or Not

taumeson — Fri, 10 Dec 2004 13:33:34 -0800

My manager is resigning. Her position, by all rights, should be mine. I have recommendations from all the various people I work with on a daily basis, and at least two managers (my own, soon-to-be-gone, and another in a related department). The CFO doesn't think I'm ready, however, and is currently trying to head hunt....apparently with some success.

Should I resign if he ignores all these folks and doesn't even at least discuss the issue with me? I think it shows pretty clearly I don't have a future with this company....I've been here for years and can do the job.

How do you resign from a job that you've never actually worked?

nramsey — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 15:34:09 -0800

How do you resign from a job that you've never actually worked? I was hired in the fall to teach a continuing ed photography class, but not enough people signed up, so I didn't teach the class. Same thing happened in winter quarter, not enough people to have the class. Now I'm in the position where I can't really do it spring quarter and this will be the time when there are enough people. So, how do I let them know I can't do it?